


Connections

by SilverMoonSky



Series: Adrinette April 2020 [9]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Knows, Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng Fluff, Adrinette April 2020, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, Fluff, Identity Reveal, Light Angst, Oblivious Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Red String of Fate, Romantic Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:07:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23587381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverMoonSky/pseuds/SilverMoonSky
Summary: Marinette is crushed when Adrien starts seeing the red string of fate, meaning he's found his soulmate. But it isn't long before she begins seeing the string too, and realizing who it leads to.Written for Day 10: Charm Bracelets for Adrinette April.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: Adrinette April 2020 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1685854
Comments: 22
Kudos: 696
Collections: Adrinette April 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do explain this in the story, but to be clear: basically, you find out who your soulmate is when you start seeing the red string of fate. For that to happen, some sort of significant exchange--a connection of the sort--has to happen between you and your soulmate. It can be through words, through objects, etc. Also, the exchanges don't have to happen on the same day; one person can figure out who their soulmate is days before the other one does. Probably sounds confusing, but hopefully this'll make a lot more sense in the story.
> 
> Hope you enjoy! :)

Marinette had heard the story of the red string of fate dozens of times. It was a tale of a thin, red cord tied to your pinky finger, leading to your soulmate. It was said that if you were lucky enough, you would find the person that was your other half on the other end. It wasn’t something you were born with; as you got older, as the bonds in the world shifted, you would be paired. It wasn’t controlled. It wasn’t sequential. The red string of fate worked in mysterious ways, and people knew not to question it. For example, you could never actually see the string until you’d had a “significant exchange” with your soulmate.

“What does that mean?” Six year old Marinette had asked her parents, wide-eyed.

Tom and Sabine had glanced at each other affectionately.

“It means that once you experience some sort of connection with your soulmate, you’ll start to see the string,” Tom explained. “Like for me, it was when your Maman came up to me and confessed her feelings for me.”

“And for me,” Sabine added, “it was not long after that, when your Papa told me he felt the same way.”

Tom had nodded, scooping his daughter up in his arms. “The exchange could happen through words, through objects, through anything really. When your soulmate says or does something important to your relationship, you’ll start to see the string, and vice versa. You just have to be open minded.”

 _But I have been, and it’s not getting me anywhere,_ Marinette thought. She would gaze at the back of Adrien’s head every single day as she sat in class, hoping that one day, something, _anything_ would happen to bring their relationship forward. After all, they just had to be soulmates, right? Who else could possibly be her soulmate?

 _(Chat Noir,_ the voice in her head would whisper. _Just like he always likes to tell you._

For the most part, Marinette ignored that thought.)

Most of her classmates had already found their soulmate. Rose and Juleka had figured out when they were younger, Mylène had figured out when Ivan wrote her a song before he was akumatized (and he found out not long after that), and Alya and Nino had figured out when the two of them were locked in that cage during an akuma attack. Sometimes, it felt as though she was the only one that didn’t know yet.

It was comforting to know that Adrien didn’t find his soulmate yet--he had showed no indication of seeing the fateful string, no matter how many times Chloé would insist that all he had to do was look a little harder.

Marinette just thought Chloé wasn’t ready to admit she’d found her soulmate--someone who wasn’t Adrien.

It allowed her to remain hopeful. Every single day Marinette would walk into class, stumbling and stuttering around her crush, but it didn’t matter. In the end, all that was needed was one little moment to spark a connection between them, to allow both of them to see the string that was most definitely tied to one another.

Which was why she was absolutely crushed when she heard Nino exclaim before class, “no way dude! You found your soulmate?”

Adrien tried to shush him, but it was too late. Marinette and Alya had already heard. Her best friend glanced worryingly at her. Marinette bit her lip, trying her hardest to hide her disappointment.

 _It must’ve happened after the gaming tournament yesterday, or today before class,_ Marinette thought, absolutely crushed. She’d hoped that perhaps when Adrien had been at her house yesterday, when the two of them played Ultimate Mecha Strike III and she’d gifted him her charm bracelet, something would’ve happened. Some sign, some indication that she would finally see her red string, or some sort of promise that it wouldn’t be long before she figured out who her soulmate was.

She should’ve known better. Of course even her Ladybug luck couldn’t help her when it came to soulmates and the red string of fate. Still, Adrien deserved to be happy. After all, he’d found his soulmate, his other half. He deserved that, and even if it wasn’t her, Marinette would at least cherish his friendship.

All of that processing took barely a couple of seconds in her brain. It would be okay. She’d find a way to move on. So Marinette shook her head at Alya and forced a smile.

Knowing she could comfort her best friend later--Marinette seemed fine on her own for now--Alya leaned over, watching Adrien with interest. “So what happened, sunshine?”

Adrien’s cheeks flared with red, and he glanced back and forth from the two girls with an increasing blush rising on his face. He opened his mouth to respond, but when Miss Bustier walked in, he immediately turned around in order to pay attention to the lesson.

No one could get anything out of him. Not Alya, not Nino, not even Chloé. Eventually the class dropped it, but it didn’t stop everyone from knowing: Adrien Agreste had a soulmate. And they were determined to figure out who it was.

Marinette, meanwhile, wanted nothing to do with it. That day, she’d gone to her room and carefully plucked all of Adrien’s pictures off her walls. If Adrien had a soulmate, then she certainly didn’t need to be hoarding feelings for him. It would be best for her to move on.

Tikki rose up and watched Marinette anxiously, wishing she could help ease her chosen’s pain, but said nothing.

Weeks passed. Marinette’s dynamic with Adrien shifted, but not necessarily in what she would call a good way. The blond boy continuously seemed to be seeking out her company--previously it had been the other way around--and Marinette didn’t know what to make of it. Should this make her happy? Happy that he wanted to spend more time with her? Adrien was just her friend. She didn’t mean more to him than that. Right?

There was still no string visible when Marinette’s fourteenth birthday rolled around. She tried her best not to let her spirits be downcasted, though. Just because nearly every one of her classmates had found their soulmate already, _before_ their fourteenth birthday, didn’t mean that she had to be desolate. It would take some time.

So Marinette went through her day, spending time with her grandma, delighted when her friends threw her a “surprise” party, fighting the inevitable akuma--who turned out to be her grandma, but she’d make it up to her--and finally getting to the part of the day she’d been waiting for: cake and opening presents.

After opening the rest of the presents her friends had given her, Marinette looked up to see Adrien holding out his arm, smiling softly at her.

“Here. You never got a chance to open it with all that was going on.”

Intrigued, Marinette took the blue box from him. _What could possibly be in it?_

She gasped as she opened it, looking in astonishment to see a charm bracelet, similar to the one that she’d gifted him not so long ago.

Adrien eyes glimmered with an unreadable emotion. Suddenly Marinette could feel an unusual pull towards him, unlike anything she’d ever felt before. She gazed at the hand where the charm bracelet rested on her palm. There, tied to her pinky finger, was a thin red string.

Marinette looked up, following the trail of the cord to the source--one blushing, awkward boy as he rubbed his hand nervously against the back of his neck, smiling when he realized what she was staring at.

_He already knew. He knew from the moment I gave him my own charm bracelet._

_I’m. . . . his soulmate._

“I always carry the lucky charm you gave me with me wherever I go, and I think it works pretty well,” he said. “So. . . . I figured it was my turn to make one for you.”

 _Because you’re my soulmate,_ rang the unspoken words.

Marinette grinned. After stuttering out a quick “thank you”, motioning to talk to Adrien in private and getting him to confess that he’d indeed known all along, and letting their family and friends know--all of whom rejoiced, claiming they’d known all along--Marinette went home with her heart lighter than it had felt in days, flopping on her bed with a huge smile on her face.

She really couldn’t have asked for a better birthday present.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Adrien sees his red string of fate leads to Marinette, he can't help but feel a little disappointed that his soulmate isn't Ladybug. But it doesn't take long for him to realize that he doesn't need to worry after all.
> 
> Written for Day 19: Rain for Adrinette April.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically the first chapter in Adrien's POV. After I wrote Marinette's POV, I couldn't help but wonder what would've gone through Adrien's mind (and someone in the comments pointed out that he would've seen the string when they were Ladybug and Chat Noir, which was something I _completely_ forgot about), so here this is! Hope you enjoy :)

The first time Adrien realized the importance of the connection between soulmates had been shortly after his mother disappeared. His father spent days cooped up in his office afterwards, refusing to come out for literally  _ anything _ . Those couple of weeks had been terrifying. Although Gabriel was better now--at least, that was Adrien liked to think--he’d never been the same since Emilie’s disappearance.

That was when Adrien started to research what happened when a soulmate lost their other half. When the red string of fate severed between a pair, it could only mean two things: one, one of the pair had passed away, or two, the bond between you had been corrupted so badly, there was no choice but to break the cord.

Sometimes, Adrien wondered which one it was for his parents. He tried not to, but he couldn’t help his curiosity. Of course, he couldn’t see their string, so he didn’t know if it was broken or not. Yet his father’s distraught state was hard to ignore.

He knew better than to ask, though. That would lead him nowhere.

Instead, Adrien focused on other things, such as when he would ever find his own soulmate. It hadn’t really been something he thought of much until after his mother left, but afterwards, it was all he could think of. Could he really find his other half? Someone who would come to understand him for who he was, and not just judge him for his pretty face? Was there really someone like that out there?

He  _ hoped _ . He hadn’t met anyone like that yet, but he was sure he would sooner or later.

And eventually, he did. From the moment he met Ladybug, he knew she  _ had _ to be the one. Who else could his soulmate be? Ladybug was kind, brave, smart, beautiful, the yin to his yang. . . .

Fate, however, seemed to have other plans.

“Actually, you know what? I've got a secret.” Marinette held out a green and pink charm. “This is why I win.”

Adrien raised his eyebrows at her. He was currently at her house in order to prepare for the gaming tournament that was happening later that day. While Marinette was an excellent player, he attributed that fact to her skill.  _ Not _ the charm she was holding in her hand.

“Are you messing with me?” He asked.

Marinette merely smiled. “Try playing a match with it.”

Adrien hesitantly took the charm from her hand. Instantly a tingle of emotions went through him, and he felt an inexplicable tug pulling him somewhere. It was unlike anything he’d ever experienced before, and as he gazed down at his hand, he immediately understood why.

Adrien’s heart stopped cold. He could only stare at his hand in shock.

Because right there, tied to his pinky finger, was a small red string.

Shakily he looked up, following the trail of the cord. It fell to a tangled heap on the floor, but was clear who it led to. One lovely, smiling Marinette Dupain-Cheng.

_ Ladybug isn’t my soulmate? _

That was the first thought that went through Adrien’s head. Immediately he wanted to smack himself. How could he think that? Marinette was an  _ amazing _ person! If she was his soulmate, he should be happy! At least his soulmate wasn’t someone like Chloé, after all! He should be grateful, he should be celebrating, he should feel--

Anything  _ but _ the disappointment he was feeling right now.

In reality, he knew he shouldn’t feel this way, because of all his friends, Marinette would most definitely be the one he’d wish to be his soulmate. But it hurt that Ladybug, the love of his life, wasn’t the person he thought she’d be to him.

Luckily Marinette didn’t notice the roller coaster of emotions he’d gone through in those several seconds; she was instead staring at her parents, who had once again materialized at her trapdoor.

Adrien and Marinette ended up taking a snack break--during which he contemplated all the wonderful things about his friend, and was delighted to find the list in his head growing longer and longer, because yes, she was absolutely wonderful and there was no reason he should be disappointed--and then of course, the inevitable akuma showed up.

He would have to see Ladybug. He would see her, and then all the puns he lined up for whenever he saw her would clog up in his throat, she’d realize he wasn’t being his normal self and that something was wrong and she would ask him about it and he couldn’t bear to tell her because that meant revealing that. . . .

_ Wait a minute. _ Chat Noir narrowed his eyes as Ladybug came into vicinity.  _ Is that. . . .? _

_ No way. No  _ freaking  _ way. _ This was too good to be true; he must be hallucinating. The red string couldn’t lead to two people. He only had one soulmate. Unless--

_ Oh my gosh Marinette Dupain-Cheng is Ladybug which means Ladybug is my soulmate and that the love of my life and the amazing girl who sits behind me in class are actually the same person and oh my gosh I think I’m gonna-- _

Chat Noir jumped as the akuma struck at him. He leaped away, shaking his head to clear the thoughts. He could freak out later. Right now, he had an akuma to deal with.

And freak out he did. As Adrien finally retired to his room for the night, he spent a solid twenty minutes screaming in his pillow, following by an hour or two of him ranting about how he’d never seen it earlier, followed by another hour or so of him gushing over the fact that the love of his life was his soulmate, and--

Okay, maybe that was a bit of exaggeration. But either way, Plagg was not satisfied.

As days went by, it was clear Marinette didn’t see the string yet. In fact, she was oddly quiet around him, and Ladybug wasn’t nearly as put off by his puns as she usually was. It worried him. Did something happen? Did he do something wrong?

Whatever it may be, Adrien resolved himself to make it better. He sought her out more, tried to get to know her more outside of the mask, just waiting and waiting for the moment she would finally see the string that joined the two of them together.

Their friendship It had started that fateful day in the rain. He passed her his umbrella, and their fingers accidentally brushed against each other as she’d fumbled to grasp it. Back then, he hadn’t thought much of it, but now he realized that there was so much more to it. If they didn’t clear up that misunderstanding back then, who knew what would’ve happened? Would he still be friends with Marinette? Would he have accepted her as her soulmate that easily?

(For the most part, Adrien tried to ignore those random thoughts. But still. They were interesting to think about.)

Weeks passed. Still no sign that she saw the red string. Adrien was starting to worry; did she maybe see it and was just not saying anything? Or did she genuinely not see it yet? What did he have to do to make sure she did?

The idea came to him several days before Marinette’s fourteenth birthday. Because of course, why hadn’t he realized that earlier? He would have to make her a matching charm bracelet to the one she’d given him! Then when he gifted it to her, she would  _ have _ to start seeing the string. That was the only way.

And so Adrien spent several long hours crafting his own charm bracelet for Marinette, one that would compliment hers perfectly. He carried the one she gave him around everywhere, after all. He would have to make sure this was perfect, so that she would do that same.

He asked for Plagg’s opinion. He asked for Alya’s opinion. Heck, he even asked for his father’s opinion! Adrien needed this to go without a hitch.

On the night of Marinette’s birthday party, soon after they’d cut the cake, Adrien walked up to her, holding out a small box and smiling at her.

“Here. You never got a chance to open it with all that was going on.”

Marinette took the box from his hand, gasping as she opened it to see a charm bracelet, similar to the one she’d given him. Adrien held his breath. This was it. This would be the moment she would figure it out, and then they could finally admit their love for one another--

Well, at least he would. He wasn’t sure about her yet.

She looked up at him, wide-eyed. Adrien merely smiled when she saw what she was looking at.

“I always carry the lucky charm you gave me with me wherever I go, and I think it works pretty well,” he said. “So. . . . I figured it was my turn to make one for you.”

_ Because you’re my soulmate, _ rang the unspoken words.

Marinette let out a sound that sounded something like a mix of a laugh and a sob. She stuttered out a quick “thank you” before whisking him away to get him to confess everything. And he did. He confessed that he’d known for weeks now, and he confessed that he knew she was Ladybug (which freaked her out until he told her it was okay because he was Chat Noir.

Adrien confessed everything except one very big detail. But that was okay. He would tell her that he loved her when the time was right. If he had to wait even longer than he already did, he would. He’d wait just for her. Because Marinette meant the world to him. Their soulmate connection was important. He would preserve and cherish it for all the years to come, and he would hope that their relationship wouldn’t end like his parents’ soulmate bond had.

In the meantime, everything was perfect just the way it was.


End file.
